OFFICIAL: For Uruguay, Italy and England, it's Group D for Death. Argentina have it easiest...South Africa would have been the WORST side there

Have mercy: Rio's statue of Christ looms over World Cup

Less than a week before the World Cup kicks off on Thursday night, we have a NEW GROUP OF DEATH.

We always knew it was going to be tough for Ghana at this World Cup. Drawn in Group G with Germany, Portugal and the USA, we suspected the Black Stars would struggle to finish in the top two after narrowly failing to reach the semi-finals in South Africa 2010.

But today we can reveal Group G is NOT QUITE as nasty as Group D (Uruguay, England, Italy and Costa Rica) as we count down to the 2014 World Cup tournament which starts with hosts Brazil v Croatia on Thursday.

There is only ONE scientific way to rate a World Cup qualification group. It goes like this: add up the combined FIFA rankings of the four sides involved. The highest score equals the EASIEST group, the lowest score suggests the MOST DIFFICULT pool (otherwise known as the GROUP OF DEATH).

With FIFA’s last set of rankings before the big kick-off released yesterday, now is the time to check just WHICH TEAMS have the easiest task when it comes to reaching the last 16.

On that basis, with Costa Rica up SIX places to 28^th and England moving up one while Portugal slipped a place to 4th in the latest rankings, Group D can now be classified as the toughest group with 54 points while Group G is the second hardest pool with a total of 56 points.

Argentina’s Group F – shared with Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria – is officially the easiest pool on 113 with Group H (Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea) next easiest with a total world ranking of 109.

It’s also worth noting Group D contains the most top-ten teams (Three: Uruguay, Italy and England), while Group H (Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic) offers no nation in that elite group.

The world’s top 15 teams are ALL involved, Ukraine (16^th) are the highest ranked nation failing to qualify. Denmark (23^rd) are the next highest-ranked failures followed by Slovenia (25^th) and, surprisingly, Scotland (27^th).

The lowest ranked team in the tournament is Australia at 62 with South Korea at 56. If South Africa, now ranked 65 after their draws against the Aussies and New Zealand last month, had qualified, they would have been officially the WORST team at the tournament.

GROUP BY GROUP

GROUP A

Brazil 3

Croatia 18

Mexico 20

Cameroon 56

TOTAL: 97

GROUP B

Spain 1

Netherlands 15

Chile 14

Australia 62

TOTAL: 92

GROUP C

Colombia 8

Greece 12

Cote D’Ivoire 23

Japan 46

TOTAL: 89

GROUP D

Uruguay 7

Costa Rica 28

England 10

Italy 9

TOTAL: 54

GROUP E

Switzerland 6

Ecuador 26

France 16

Honduras 33

TOTAL: 81

GROUP F

Argentina 5

Bosnia 21

Iran 43

Nigeria 44

TOTAL: 113

GROUP G

Germany 2

Portugal 4

Ghana 37

USA 13

TOTAL: 56

GROUP H

Belgium 11

Algeria 22

Russia 19

South Korea 57

TOTAL: 109 

Baffling Bafana captain Mokoena: We can't let the World Cup leave South Africa!

SOUTH AFRICA'S World Cup captain Aaron Mokoena reckons his baffling Bafana Bafana CAN achieve global domination.

The Portsmouth defender, who plays in the FA Cup final against Premier League champions Chelsea on Saturday, may have let the pre-Wembley hype get to him when he said simply: “We have to make sure the World Cup does not leave South Africa now.”

The World Cup arrived for a nationwide tour last week but most think Mokoena’s team will be the first host nation to be eliminated before the knock-out stages, given a record-low ranking of 90 in this month’s FIFA assessment. But the former Ajax Amsterdam and Blackburn centre-back, brilliant in Pompey’s shock semi-final win over Spurs last month, said: “We always respect people’s opinions. Yes, there are statistics out there. We know we’re facing a big challenge as a team.

“We’re so fortunate to have Carlos Parreira, such an experienced manager, making sure we prepare properly. He knows actually how much it takes for a team to do well in such a big event. We have to let people talk. But we know we have to be prepared mentally, physically.

“We have to make sure we gel as a team as soon as possible before the first game against Mexico. Then we’ve got Uruguay and France!”

With fellow African nations Algeria, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon also in difficult groups, Mokoena insisted: “It’s very, very important for Africa. First of all, we know how much it means for South Africa and the African continent. This is our first World Cup ever in the history of football. It’s an opportunity to showcase how beautiful the African continent is, and also how much talent we have here.

“As Africans, we’ve shown we can come to Europe and do well as individuals. So many big clubs rely on African players. We are representing the African continent. We want to make people aware.

“South Africa hosted a Rugby World Cup, a Confederations Cup last year, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the rugby Lions every four years. This is our turn to host another big event successfully.”

So can an African nation do better than Cameroon, who reached the last eight in 1990? Mokoena, known locally as Mbaso (The Axe), chipped around the question for a while: “This event is big, big for Africa. We know it’s going to be hard. We’re playing against sides who have done well in the World Cup before. Brazil have done well so many times.

“But as a South African leader here, we’re the hosts, we have to do well. It’s a big challenge, but I’m absolutely looking forward to it.

“Doing well means that the World Cup has to remain in Africa. We have the best chance of all the African teams. I’m optimistic.

“Looking back in the Confederations Cup, a lot of people expected the likes of Spain to do well. They couldn’t. I see this World Cup as bringing a lot of surprises.”

Follow the World Cup with www.nealcollins.co.uk... and search for his fascinating YouTube videos from South Africa!